United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Media Advisories (2002 - 2006)

13-11-2002November 21 - Philosophy Day at UNESCO
Paris - "You don't learn philosophy, you learn to philosophise," they say. UNESCO invites the public to set aside a whole day for doing just that on November 21 (International Philosophy Day), along with 60 or so philosophers from around the world. More

11-11-2002World Bioethics Committee will discuss genetic data
Paris - A proposed international declaration on human genetic data will be discussed for the first time at the ninth session of UNESCO's International Bioethics Committee (IBC) in Montreal from November 26 to 28. More

05-11-2002New biosphere reserves to be announced on November 8
Paris - A list of new biosphere reserves from around the world will be released on November 8th, following the deliberations of the Bureau of the International Co-ordinating Council of UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB). More

03-11-2002EDUCATION FOR ALL MAY REMAIN A DREAM WARNS NEW REPORT, TO BE LAUNCHED IN LONDON
Paris - Two and a half years after pledging to achieve education for all by 2015, more than 70 countries - on present trends - will not make it. This is the stern warning from the 2002 Education for All Global Monitoring Report which will be launched at a press conference organized by UNESCO in London on November 13. More

29-10-2002FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN CYBERSPACE
Paris - Freedom of expression on the internet will be the subject of an international symposium held as part of the preparation for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) that will take place in Geneva and Tunis in 2003 and 2005 respectively. More

29-10-2002ITALY AND UNESCO SIGN AGREEMENT TO IMPLEMENT BASIC EDUCATION PROJECT IN CHINA
Paris - A new project to provide training to teachers in the two Chinese provinces of Hainan and Jilin and to reduce disparities in the quality of education in rural and urban areas in both provinces, is to be implemented by UNESCO. More

24-10-2002IN VENICE, UNESCO CELEBRATES 30 YEARS
Paris - Between 1978, when Ecuador's Galapagos Islands became the first UNESCO World Heritage site, and this year, when the Minaret of Jam in Afghanistan became the latest, the World Heritage List swelled to include a total of 730 sites of "exceptional universal value" spread across the world's five continents. More

22-10-2002ISRAEL CELEBRATES INSCRIPTION OF TWO SITES
Paris - UNESCO and the Permanent Delegation of Israel to the Organization will celebrate the inscription of two Israeli sites, the fortress of Masada and the Old City of Acco, at a reception to be held at Headquarters tomorrow. More

13-10-2002UNESCO AND SUEZ SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENT TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO SAFE WATER
Paris - Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, and Gérard Mestrallet, Chairman and CEO of the company SUEZ, will sign a cooperation agreement to improve access to water for all on October 14, at UNESCO Headquarters (5pm). More

13-10-2002EXPORTING HIGHER EDUCATION: A QUESTION OF QUALITY
Paris - Is higher education a commercial service that can be traded like any other? Is a diploma from one of the rapidly growing number of transborder or virtual universities worth a diploma from a more traditional, state-funded institution? What guarantees exist to ensure the quality of private higher education services? Are they adequate given the radical changes taking place in this domain? And will the rise in the private sector and the export of higher education affect the already declining funding provided by state budgets to higher eduation sectors? More

08-10-2002DIGITIZED MASTERPIECES FROM FLORENCE PRESENTED AT UNESCO
Paris - Thousands of visitors crowd the renowned Uffizi Gallery in Florence every day, but many others leave the Tuscan capital without having had the chance to see the selection of Italy's most famous masterpieces displayed there. However, these disappointed art-lovers will soon be able to see impeccable reproductions of them on the Internet, or in travelling exhibitions, thanks to a UNESCO-backed project to digitize 2,000 of the Uffizi's works. More

03-10-2002UNESCO-SPONSORED HIGH SCHOOL ESSAY COMPETITION ON SPACE
Paris - In an event to mark World Space Week 2002, 17-year-old Carike Bosman from Pretoria (South Africa), will receive the first prize of an international essay contest sponsored by UNESCO in a ceremony hosted by the European Space Agency's Research and Technology Centre (ESA/ESTEC) in Noordwijk (Netherlands) on October 7. The essay contest was held earlier this year to encourage high school students to share their vision of space and society in the coming decades. Carike Bosman will receive US$1,000 and a certificate while her school, Hoërskool Eldoraigne, will be given US$500. More

23-09-2002DESIGN 21: SIX BRIGHT NEW TALENTS JOIN DESIGNERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD TO EXHIBIT AT UNESCO
Paris - An inflatable shelter for homeless people, a “quantum bowl” made of magnetic balls, a finger-ring that is also a vase, a mirror to examine one’s private parts, a folding chair made out of a single piece of material and a t-shirt you can write messages on. More

17-09-2002CITY MONTESSORI SCHOOL AWARDED THE 2002 UNESCO PRIZE FOR PEACE EDUCATION
Paris - UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura will award the 2002 UNESCO Prize for Peace Education to Jagdish and Barthi Gandhi, founders of the City Montessori School (India) on Monday September 23 (5 p.m., Organization Headquarters). More

15-09-2002IS RATIONALITY UNIVERSAL?
Paris - More than 100 philosophers, academics and intellectuals, half of them from Africa and the rest from Europe, the Americas and Asia, will take part in a conference called "The Encounter of Rationalities" to be held in Porto Novo (Benin) from September 18 to 22. More

09-09-2002CULTURE MINISTERS TO EXAMINE THE LINK BETWEEN INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY
Istanbul - Some 80 ministers of culture will meet in Istanbul on September 16 and 17 to debate the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage (languages, performing arts, music, social and religious rituals, oral traditions and traditional knowledge), which is as important as tangible heritage for the maintenance of the world's cultural diversity. More

09-09-2002MIGUEL-ANGEL ESTRELLA'S ORCHESTRA FOR PEACE BRINGS ARABS AND ISRAELIS TO PLAY AT UNESCO
Paris - About 40 Arab and Israeli musicians, members of the Orchestra for Peace founded by UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Miguel-Angel Estrella, will play works by Mozart, Beethoven, Couperin and Shah Hosseyni at a performance tomorrow at UNESCO Headquarters at 8.30 p.m. More

02-09-2002LITERACY AS FREEDOM, THE THEME OF THIS YEAR'S INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY
Paris - Literacy as Freedom: a challenge for the 21st century, is the theme of a round-table organized by UNESCO at the Organization's Paris Headquarters on September 9 and 10 as part of its celebrations for this year's International Literacy Day (September 8). More

29-08-2002WATER IS NOT JUST A COMMODITY, BUT A COMMON PUBLIC GOOD, SAYS UNESCO
Johannesburg/Paris - Preliminary results of the most extensive United Nations undertaking to assess the world's freshwater resources will be presented on September 3 at the Water Dome (2p.m. to 4.30p.m., rooms 3 and 4) during the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg. More

27-08-2002CULTURAL DIVERSITY ESSENTIAL FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, MAINTAINS UNESCO
Johannesburg/Paris - How can we alleviate poverty while promoting cultural and biological diversity? What political and legal measures need to be taken at the national and international levels to promote cultural diversity and protect biodiversity? Which measures should be taken to protect indigenous and local communities in the face of globalization? More

26-08-2002EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Paris/Johannesburg - For sustainable development to become a reality, people everywhere must learn to think and act differently. More

04-07-2002UNESCO-UNDP DEBATE ON AIDS AND ITS IMPACT ON THE EDUCATION SECTOR
Paris - The HIV/AIDS epidemic has had a serious impact on education. As part of the July 7-12 International AIDS Conference in Barcelona, UNESCO and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) are holding a meeting in the city on July 7 to discuss the extent of this impact and how to curb the epidemic. More

02-07-2002Deputy Director-General to inaugurate Youth Tennis Tournament on July 8
Paris - The Deputy Director General of UNESCO, Marcio Barbosa, will inaugurate the Fila Cup - Open des Jeunes Stade Français in Paris on July 8 (4 p.m.). Some 300 young tennis players, aged 12 to 14, from 55 countries, will take part in the tournament which has been placed under the auspices of UNESCO this year. More

19-06-2002BOLIVIA'S CULTURAL DIVERSITY ON SHOW AT UNESCO
Paris - Bolivian cinema, music, folklore, craftwork, gold and silver work, and art will be on show at UNESCO from June 24, during the Bolivian Fortnight in Paris, organized by the Permanent Delegation of Bolivia to UNESCO. More

18-06-2002NEW SITES PROPOSED FOR WORLD HERITAGE LIST
Paris - Eleven new sites, including one in Afghanistan, are likely to be added to UNESCO's World Heritage List on June 27. These sites of exceptional cultural and natural value for humanity will be included on the List during the World Heritage Committee's 26th annual meeting in Budapest (Hungary) from June 24-29. More

17-06-2002MARY ROBINSON TO RECEIVE HOUPHOUET-BOIGNY PEACE PRIZE ON JUNE 21
Paris - The Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize will be presented to Mary Robinson, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and former president of Ireland, at UNESCO Headquarters on June 21. More

13-06-2002A colloquium on Ladino at UNESCO
Paris - On the 31st of March 1492, the Spanish Reconquista hardly over, the Catholic kings signed an edict which obliged all Jews to either become Christians or to leave the kingdom. More

13-06-200221st CENTURY TALKS : "EDUCATION FOR ALL: ALWAYS TOMORROW'S CONCERN ?
Paris - The 21st session of the 21st Century Talks will be held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 18 June,* with the theme of "Education for All: Always Tomorrow's Concern?" The session will feature three well-known figures : More

05-06-2002SOCIAL SCIENCE IN THE WORLD REPORT PUBLISHED
Paris - What is social science about? This discipline, which involves collecting information about society to help guide political decisions, is a real tool for inquiry. The importance of social science however has varied according to era, country and ideological context. So reveals the report "Social Science in the World", co-edited by UNESCO and the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme in Paris, which has just come out in French ("Les sciences sociales dans le monde"). For the launch of the report, a round table has been organized between several scientists from France and abroad in Paris today, Thursday June 6, at 6:00 p.m.*. More

04-06-2002RECONSTRUCTION OF THE MOSTAR BRIDGE TO BEGIN IN JUNE
Paris - Reconstruction work on the Stari Most, or the Old Bridge of Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina), which was destroyed during the war in the former Yugoslavia, is about to begin, after more than two years of scientific and archeological research to consolidate its foundations and those of the banks of the Neretva River. More

04-06-2002UNESCO HOSTS LAUNCH OF FIRST ON-LINE INTERACTIVE ATLAS OF THE OCEANS
Paris - The UN and leading international scientific agencies will launch the UN Atlas of the Oceans on World Environment Day (June 5) at a meeting of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission in Paris. More than two years in development and after a decade of planning, the Oceans Atlas represents the most ambitious global scientific information collaboration ever online and an international consensus-building tool expected to assist negotiations of future marine-related agreements. More

04-06-2002UNESCO SPONSORS YOUTH TENNIS TOURNAMENT
Paris - The Fila Cup - Open des Jeunes Stade Français - Paris 2002 tournament, which will bring together some 300 12 to 14-year-old tennis players from about 50 countries, will be held under the auspices of UNESCO from July 4 to 14. The Organization will put on a range of educational and cultural activities, as well as games, transforming this high-level sporting meeting into a major inter-cultural event. More

26-05-2002UNESCO INITIATIVE FOR WORLD CINEMA
Paris - Travel and cinema will be showcased at the close of the 164th session of UNESCO's Executive Board on Thursday, May 30. Six films about travel by one of France's great cinema pioneers, Georges Méliès (1861-1938), will be screened and the Organization will launch a new project for a List of Representative Works of World Cinema. More

23-05-2002Presentation at UNESCO of the fourth volume of the "General History of Latin America"
Paris - During the second half of the 18th century, the kingdoms of Spain and Portugal pushed complex reform programmes in Latin America that were meant to renew and strengthen colonial ties but which in fact gave rise to a drive for independence. More

21-05-2002AFRICA DAY TO BE CELEBRATED AT UNESCO
Paris - A round-table on the concept of "Negritude" will be one of the highlights of celebrations at UNESCO Headquarters for this year's Africa Day (May 25), marking the founding in 1963 of the Organisation for African Unity (OAU). More

12-05-2002ETERNAL AFGHANISTAN: A CO-PUBLICATION FROM UNESCO AND EDITIONS DU CHÊNE
Paris - The photographer Reza and journalist Olivier Weber offer readers a marvellous journey in their book Eternal Afghanistan*, a co-publication by UNESCO and Editions du Chêne that will be launched on May 16. More

09-05-2002EXPLORING THE LAST FRONTIER
Paris - There may be more species in the deep sea than in all other environments combined, but only about 0.0001 percent of life there has been investigated so far. More

28-04-2002THE MOST REPORT 2001: LINKING RESEARCH AND ACTION
Paris - How should multicultural societies, cities and urbanisation be managed in a world increasingly marked by the flight of people from the countryside and other migration? How can we fight poverty and tackle world problems at local level ? More

25-04-2002CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND “THE ART OF LIVING IN PEACE”
Paris - Peace education expert Pierre Weil will present his method of resolving conflicts and living in peace on Monday April 29 at a conference organized to mark the release of his new book, “The Art of Living in Peace,” co-published by UNESCO and UNIPEACE. UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Education, John Daniel, will open the meeting at 5 p.m. at UNESCO Headquarters (Room XI,). More

24-04-2002WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY TO FOCUS ON TERRORISM AND MEDIA - Ceremony in Manila
Paris - Terrorism and Media is the theme of this year's World Press Freedom Day, celebrated around the world on May 3. Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura will mark the event with a ceremony at Malacañang Palace, in Manila. More

10-04-2002FORMULA ONE DRIVER MICHAEL SCHUMACHER TO BE NAMED UNESCO CHAMPION FOR SPORT
Paris - German Formula One racing driver Michael Schumacher will be named UNESCO Champion for Sport by UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura at a ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters on Monday, April 15, at 5.30 p.m., which will be followed by a press conference. More

03-04-2002New survey of education in sub-Saharan Africa
Paris - Four out of every ten primary–age children in sub-Saharan Africa do not go to school, and of those who do, only a small proportion reach a basic level of skills.
This is one of the conclusions of a new report about to be released by UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics. More

02-04-2002UNESCO BRINGS TOGETHER SOUTH-EAST EUROPE MINISTERS TO STEP UP COOPERATION IN EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND CULTURE
Paris - Ways to reinforce regional co-operation in South-East Europe in UNESCO's fields of competence, will be discussed by ministers and other senior representatives from the region and their international partners at UNESCO Headquarters on April 4 and 5. More

03-03-2002PRESENTATION OF L’ORÉAL’S WOMEN IN SCIENCE AWARDS
Paris - The L’ORÉAL Women in Science Awards, created in 1999 with UNESCO’s support, will be presented on Wednesday, March 6 (6.30 p.m. Room 1) at the Organization’s Headquarters by UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura and Lindsay Owen-Jones, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of L’ORÉAL. More

21-02-2002AFGHAN MINISTER TO ATTEND LAUNCH OF UNESCO CD “AFGHANISTAN – WOMEN MUSICIANS OF HERAT”
Paris - UNESCO will launch a CD of music by Afghan women musicians on February 28 at a reception for visiting Afghan Information and Culture Minister Raheen Makhdom. “Afghanistan – Women Musicians of Herat,” is the latest in the UNESCO Traditional Music of the World collection. More